Pages

Monday, 9 April 2012

Test Cricket vs ODI Cricket

The future of cricket; Test matches, ODI's or T20? Guest columnist Joe Mannick gives us his thoughts. A big fan of The Middle Stump, the young man from Oxford Brookes University seems to have adopted our language very quickly!

The home of cricket. Under lights???

Since 1877 when the first recognised test match was played, it became and remains in my opinion the best form of the game. With the introduction of One day internationals in 1971 and T20 cricket in 2003 it has provided the crowds with an alternative and the players with a new challenge.

For me I think that 50 and 40 over cricket are a complete waste of time! Don’t get me wrong any batsman that can score a double hundred in 50 over’s then fair play, but how many 50 over games are just fucking boring. I feel there is no place in the international calendar for 50 over cricket. The decision to delay the Test Championship and play the Champions Trophy is fucking ridiculous, I understand that the ICC need the broadcast revenue to sustain itself but who really cares about this tournament. The future of the game is Test Cricket and T20 Cricket!

It however has become clear that crowds abroad would much prefer to watch a T20 match than watch a full day’s play of test cricket. With T20 competitions such as the IPL, The Big Bash and T20 Cup in England generating massive crowds and great interest with fans it can only do positive things in expanding the brand of cricket. The whole idea of T20 cricket is to deliver fast paced and exciting cricket for people who were put off by the longer forms of the game, and that is exactly what they got. However it seems that T20 cricket is becoming a more popular form of the game than test cricket which is not the case with myself and other traditionalists who believe the 5 day game is better.

Chris Gayle- Not too sad

Players such as Eoin Morgan refused the chance to play for Middlesex in the County Championship which would boost his chance of regaining his place in the England Test side. Instead he has decided to go to the IPL and play for the Kolkata Knight Riders and take his big cheque! Also Chris Gayle who has a great record at Test level being only one of four players to have scored two triple centuries was quoted to have said "wouldn't be so sad" if Test cricket was superseded by Twenty20 cricket in the future, which is bollocks. But now he plays T20 cricket for any team who offers the biggest cheque (like a cricket mercenary), and we are seeing more and more T20 specialists.

Morgan- the IPL pays more than Middlesex

T20 cricket can have a positive effect on test cricket in regards to scoring rates and new shots that can be played. David Warner was the first Australian cricketer in 132 years to be selected for a national team in any format without experience in first-class cricket. His success in T20 cricket and the fact that Australia have no good new opening batsman led to his inclusion in to the Test team. His selection was a success as he has 2 centuries in 6 test matches with an average so far over 50 which isn’t too bad.

My opinion of T20 cricket is that it bring a new dimension to the game of cricket which is exciting and a money maker, but it will never surpass the heights of test cricket. Test match cricket still remains the pinnacle of any cricketer’s career, rather than the big pay day of the IPL. Anyway you can play IPL when you retire from tests like Murali and Gilchrist who have proven themselves not bad test players!